


The Laser Tag Party

by writingonpostcards



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, Birthday Party, Getting Together, Kid Fic, Laser Tag, M/M, Single Parent Derek Hale, Single Parent Stiles Stilinski, Sterek Week 2016, SterekKids
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-26
Updated: 2016-10-26
Packaged: 2018-08-27 04:00:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,101
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8386378
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/writingonpostcards/pseuds/writingonpostcards
Summary: To the parent/care giver. In order to meet the requirements of the venue, two adults need to be present to oversee the party. I would really appreciate if you would be able to donate a few hours of your time to help me oversee the party for Dean. When you RSVP, please let me know either way. Thank you, Stiles.

  Hello. Christie Hale would love to come to Dean’s birthday party. Thank you for inviting her. Also, I am available to help out on the day. My name is Derek. Please feel free to contact me using this number.





	

[Sterek Week 2016](http://whatthehellisahoechlin.tumblr.com/tagged/sterekweek2016) || Day 2 || Kids || The Laser Tag Party

There aren’t many things that Derek isn’t willing to do for his daughter. Christie is his heart. Eight years old and already with enough self-determination to be arguing with people twice her age. Her smile lights Derek up every time, and even when she’s yelling at him or avoiding him because he packed her an apple instead of an orange for lunch, he would drop anything for her.

That said, Derek does have a small list of things he’d like to be able to trade out. If he wasn’t a single father, he’d foster the following onto his partner:

  * Accompanying Christie to movie marathons that last over 12 hours
  * Learning the cha-cha so they can dance together at the school disco
  * Laser-tag and bowling parties



That’s it. That’s his list. It’s small, and at the end of the day, Derek doesn’t really mind.

Right now, however, standing in the main entrance of the local laser tag, waiting for a dozen kids to show up for the birthday party for a kid in Christie’s class, Derek can’t help but fantasise about his half-finished paperback and comfortable living room at home. And an advil. Not five minutes being here and he’s alright convinced his ears have started ringing from the decibel of the kids’ screams.

“Is the birthday boy here yet?” Derek asks Christie when she comes over to him after greeting her friends.

“Nope. But Dean’s always last. They’ll get here, daddy.” Christie pats as high up on his arms as she can reach.

Her words don’t reassure Derek much. If it was Christie birthday party, he would make sure they were there at least fifteen minutes before the party was meant to start. Half an hour to be sure. It’s not exactly the best form to be showing up late to your own birthday party.

All the other parents have dropped off their kids and escaped.

It’s probably not fair of Derek to think of it as escaping, actually. After all, he volunteered to be here. Well, he volunteered after Christie dropped hints. Well, not hints so much as she just asked him outright.

Each printed invite – adorned with clip-art of laser guns, birthday cakes, presents, and a few lightsabers – also came with a request to the parents.

_To the parent/care giver. In order to meet the requirements of the venue, two adults need to be present to oversee the party. I would really appreciate if you would be able to donate a few hours of your time to help me oversee the party for Dean. When you RSVP, please let me know either way. Thank you, Stiles._

Derek wasn’t going to offer until Christie said she’d like to have him there and then, what was he to do. Say no? Impossible.

So he texted the number at the bottom of the card.

_Hello. Christie Hale would love to come to Dean’s birthday party. Thank you for inviting her. Also, I am available to help out on the day. My name is Derek. Please feel free to contact me using this number._

He got a response within the hour.

_Hi Derek. Dean’s looking forward to having Christie there. I am definitely looking forward to having some help for his party. There shouldn’t be much to it, just turn up. Thank you so much. Stiles._

They hadn’t texted then until yesterday, where Stiles just sent a quick text reminding Derek and checking he was still on board. He was.

Now he’s waiting in the foyer, looking at his watch, and forming a worsening impression of Stiles, a man he’s never met. It’s poor form, Derek is aware, so he tries to talk himself out of it.

He doesn’t have to for long because the birthday boy arrives.

“Dean!” Christie squeals, running over to a slight, brown haired boy who’s just run in from the carpark. She doesn’t hesitate to wrap him in a hug and soon the other kids are following. Derek smiles at them, glad as always to see Christie getting along with her friends.

While all the kids are in the huddle, a man walks through the automatic doors, laden down with several plastic bags in one hand, and a cake container in the other. This must be Stiles.

Derek steps around the kids, who are now jumping up and down, and introduces himself.

“Stiles?”

“Yes, that’s me. Hi. Derek Hale?”

“Yes. Do you want me to take anything?”

Stiles sighs out with obvious relief. “Please. Thank you. Can you grab the cake?”

Derek takes it out of Stiles’ hands and Stiles smiles at him in relief. He feels a little twang in his gut and forces himself not to acknowledge what it means.

Stiles switches the bags up so they’re divided evenly. “Sorry I’m late. I had planned to get here early but then Dean couldn’t find his lucky socks. Turns out they were in the wash so I had to hand wash them, then unearth the hair dryer, and anyway. Sorry. And thank you again for agreeing to help me out, Derek. Have you let them know we’re here?”

Derek shakes his head. “I was just waiting for you.”

“Okay. Well I’m going to go let them know, I’ll be back in a sec.”

Derek watches Stiles head over to the reception desk, feeling a little overwhelmed. For one, that was a lot of words in a very short amount of time. Thank goodness he’s had practice with nieces and nephews. And two, Stiles is his type. Full stop. Right on the money. From his height, to his shoulder width, to his moles, to his thick hair. He has a sudden unexplainable thought about Christie’s intentions with bringing him here, before he realises, _she’s eight years old_ , and she’s not Laura.

Stiles is back by then, plastic bags missing. He pats Derek on the shoulder as he walks past, then claps loudly for the kids’ attention.

“Right. Hello kiddies. My name is Stiles. I’m Dean’s dad. Are you all excited to play some laser tag?”

The kids jump and scream some more. It doesn’t seem to faze Stiles at all, while Derek just wishes harder for that advil.

“Well okay then, follow me. We’re all going to put our stuff in the party room, and then we’ll get ready for round one. Oh! Hang on a moment.” Stiles turns around and beckons Derek over. When Derek’s standing beside him he claps his hand on his shoulder again. This time, it stays there. “This is Derek. He’s—“

“My dad!!” Christie shouts. The kids giggle around her.

“Correct. This is Christie’s dad. He’s here to help out too. No-one knock him over because he’s holding the birthday cake and that’d be sad. Let’s go.”

Stiles leads them all into a room that while fairly plain itself, has been decorate to a sickening level. Streamers, banners, bunches of helium filled balloon, and gaudy plastic tablecloths on the large table in the middle. There’s a second table off to the side which Stiles directs presents too, and bags under.

“Were you planning on going in, or did you want to just sit out here?” Stiles asks Derek quietly while the kids put their stuff away.

“Oh, I don’t really mind. I assume they needed us in there with them.”

“So did I, but apparently not. So, do you want to be shot at by eight year old’s, or did you want to do your own thing out here?”

“I didn’t bring a book or anything.”

“Well I can stay out here with you. We can have some actually adult conversation that uses big words like ‘auto-dependency’ and ‘reticence’ and ‘congeniality’.”

Derek surprises himself by laughing, egged on by Stiles’ comic eyebrow wiggle. “Adult conversation sounds great, actually.”

Stiles nods and smiles, clapping him once again on the shoulder, before he chorales the kids off with him to head to their first round.

Derek stays back in the room and tidies up the mess of bags and presents that the kids have left, finishing before Stiles comes back. He checks his phone while he waits, responding to a text Laura had sent him yesterday, and then adding a video snapchat of the room to his story.

Stiles catches him at it.

“Did _not_ realise you would be up with social media and apps.” Derek jumps a little. “Sorry, sorry. I’m back,” Stiles says unnecessarily.

“That’s alright.”

“They should be about half an hour.”

Derek puts his phone back into his pocket and then there’s an awkward silence. Derek’s not that great at filling those, and apparently, the only conversation starters his brain can think of right now involved asking Stiles if he’s single, or asking Stiles out. Neither of those he wants to follow through with, so he bites his tongue, hoping Stiles will start the conversation.

Stiles pulls out a chair from the table and sits down on it, then beckons Derek to do the same. Derek sits across from him. Put their same configuration in a different setting and it could almost be a first date. But Derek’s getting way ahead of himself here. Even though it has been a while since he’s spent one-on-one time with an adult that wasn’t for work, that is not what this is. He’s only here as a favour and because Christie asked him to. And that’s another reason not to rush right there.

“So what are you up to, Derek?” Stiles asks.

“Today? Or in life?” Derek asks.

Stiles laughs easily with his head thrown back. “I meant more like in life. Job, hobbies, stuff like that.”

“Alright then. I’m a public servant. I work with city planning to assess new architectural projects for their feasibility and sustainability.”

Stiles nods slowly. “And outside of work?”

“Not much. Fathering takes up most of that time. I usually do whatever Christie wants to do.”

“I get that. I do _have_ me time, but there is also a lot of _me and Dean_ time. God that sounds like I hate it, doesn’t it?” Stiles runs his hands through his hair. “That’s not what I meant.”

“It’s alright. I get it. You put them first because you want to, not because you have to.”

“Yeah, exactly.” Stiles smiles, relieved.

“What about you, then?”

Stiles leans back in the chair, relaxing into the conversation. “I’m an assistant manager at a kitchenware store. Sounds kinda lame, I know, but I really love working there.”

“I don’t think it’s lame.”

Stiles furrows his brow as he looks over Derek, as though unsure whether he’s telling the truth of not.

“I get great discounts.”

“Okay.”

“I get say over what hours I work.”

“Okay.”

“I get to—“

“Stiles,” Derek stops him. “It’s really fine that you work in retail.”

“Okay, okay. Sometimes I tell people that, and they just get these judgemental eyes. I can see them looking at me, and guessing how old I am, and if I’m with Dean it’s just twenty times worse.”

Stiles looks like he’s running over one of the encounters in his head. Derek tries to move the conversation on.

“I have to say I’m amazed that you let Dean have a laser-tag party.”

“Tell me about it,” Stiles says with a groan. “But he’s been asking for months.”

“Well, I know Christie was very excited when she got the invite. Did Dean make those himself?”

“Yeah, he’s a computer whiz.” Stiles says it with fondness. “I’d like to say he gets it from me, but it’s been years since my graphic design days.”

“You did graphic design?” Derek asks, interested.

“Took an actual course at college and everything. But then, you know, _Dean_. Though I did a bit of freelance work for a while.”

Derek nods, wanting to ask about Dean, but not feeling close enough yet to do so. He’s saved the trouble of coming up with something else to ask when the kids stream back in.

Christie comes straight up to him and jumps onto his lap. Derek fears for the plastic chair he’s sitting on but thankfully it holds.

“Dad, look at this.” She waves a sheet of paper way too close to his face. “I came sixth out of all the people in there. And there was a whole group of teenagers with us.”

“That’s amazing,” Derek says, proud. He kisses Christie on her forehead then lifts her so he can move off the seat. “I’ve got to help Stiles put out some food for everyone.”

“’Kay.”

The speed at which the kids demolish the food is phenomenal. Derek swears he didn’t eat as fast when he was a _teenager_. He sees Stiles looking over it with a slightly panicked look, so he makes his way over.

“You alright?”

“Not sure I brought enough food. It’s just another few plates of sausage rolls and the cake.”

“Well they’ve got food here, right?” Derek points out.

“Yeah but it’s—“ Stiles cuts himself off, then sighs and mumbles, “it’s just so expensive. I brought all this with me because it worked out cheaper.”

Derek frowns. He knows that it can be tough with all the bread-winning duties solely on your shoulders for you and your kid, but you shouldn’t have to feel like Stiles is obviously feeling.

This time, Derek’s the one to put his hand on Stiles’ shoulder. “Hey, I can get something sorted, if you want? It won’t cost a thing.”

“Derek, that would be—are you sure? I didn’t bring you here to take advantage of your pantry or your wallet or anything.”

“It’s no problem, seriously. Will you let me?”

Stiles bits his lip and looks over to the kids. Derek can see his eyes land on Dean and he knows Stiles is going to say yes.

“Sure. Go for it.”

“Thank you. I’m just going to make a call.”

Derek walks all the way to carpark outside before he pulls out his phone to call Laura.

“Hey, Derek, how’s the party going?”

“Good. That’s why I’m calling though.”

“What is it?” Laura’s voice immediately drops in pitch—her serious voice.

“It’s not that big of a thing, but the kids have eaten everything already, and Stiles—the father of the birthday boy—he was really freaking out about it, so I thought, would you be able to just get some stuff together quickly?”

“Oh, _phew_! Okay, I was thinking major crisis. I mean, not that no food at a kids party _isn’t_ a crisis, but—“

“Laura?”

“Yeah, yeah, Derek. I’ve got it. I can meet you there in about forty minutes. Sound good?”

“Yes. Thank you so much.”

“You got it. Go tell that Stiles guy not to panic. I’m coming to save his ass.”

“I won’t use those words but I will let him know. Thank you.”

When Derek gets back inside the kids are already completing their second round and Stiles is pacing the room, biting at his nails. When he sees Derek come in he drops his hand.

“Sorry, bad habit.”

“My dad does it all the time too.”

“How’d it go?”

“My sister, Laura, is going to get some stuff together. She should be here in about forty minutes.”

Stiles visibly deflates and closes his eyes for a few seconds.

“Did you… do you want me to leave for a bit?”

Stiles smiles at Derek and shake his head. “Don’t worry about it. I just get panicked pretty easily. But this helps. Okay.” Stiles claps his hands together. “Moving on. Tell me about something you did this week?”

The more Derek talks with Stiles, the more his brain starts nagging him that, ‘hey, this really could be a date’. Derek’s strangely thankful when the kids interrupt their discussion about movie franchises, and hurriedly takes out his phone to check in with Laura, while Stiles lets the kid have at the few plates of food left.

“Laura should be here any minute,” Derek tells Stiles when he comes over. “I’m going to wait out the front.”

Laura’s succeeding at balancing several Tupperware contains in her arms as she weaves through cars in the lot. Derek jogs over and takes the top few so she can actually see where she’s going.

“Derek. Hey. Still going well?”

“Kids are really enjoying themselves, but I tell you, my ears are ringing from the noise.”

Laura laughs at him. “Still can’t believe you agreed to this.”

They reach the room where the party is happening and Stiles looks up in obvious relief and smiles at Derek. Derek smiles back and lifts the food up to show him.

“Well. That changes things,” Laura says, looking from Derek to Stiles.

Derek looks at Laura.

“A conversation for later. Where’s this all going?”

The food gets divided, some for now and some for later, and Stiles comes over to introduce himself.

“Thank you so much, Laura.”

“Totally not a worry. I co-own a café, so this kind of thing is my shtick.”

Derek looks between Stiles and Laura, wondering why it feels like they’re sizing each other up.

“Anyway, Stiles. I’m gonna jet. Just make sure those containers get back to me eventually.”

“Sure. Thanks again.”

Derek leads Laura back out to the parking lot after she gives him a look. She can find her car herself so he doesn’t know what it’s about.

“You good?” Derek asks once they’re out the front.

“Peachy. Can we talk later? Tonight, maybe?”

“Sure,” Derek says, relived Laura isn’t in the midst of some kind of personal drama. “About what.”

“About why you’re doing a massive favour for this man.”

Derek frowns. “Laura, it’s not—it’s not like that.” It is though, Derek’s just trying not to think of that.

Laura raises an eyebrow at Derek and he tries to keep a poker face. Eventually she sighs and looks away.

“My bad. Sorry for misreading. Maybe think about it, though? I’ll call you tonight.”

Derek watches her leave and thinks that, once again, Laura is right on the money about his romantic inclinations.

The kids have already eaten their way through most of Laura’s food and are suiting up for the final round of laser tag when Derek goes back in. Surprisingly, Stiles is also putting on a pack.

“Hey, Derek. Wasn’t sure when you’d be back so I thought I’d go in with the party-goers for this round.”

“Sounds fun.”

“Good, because there’s a spot for you.” Stiles hands Derek a pack and Derek sighs before reaching out for it. He was never going to escape, was he.

Christie sees him clipping his on. “Daddy! You’re playing with us. I’m so excited. Which team are you on?”

Derek checks the colour labelled on his chest. “Blue team.”

“That’s with me.” Derek high-five’s Christie’s outstretched hand. “We’ve won every round except the second, so you better not make us lose.”

Derek thinks back to the last time he played a game of laser tag. He honestly can’t remember aside from the fact it was in early high school.

“I’ll try my best.”

Christie goes over to the rest of her teammates and Derek sidles back to Stiles, the only other adult suited up to play.

“Looking a little lost there, Derek,” Stiles teases.

“I can’t remember how to play.”

“Point and shoot, basically. If you get hit your pack will power down for a few seconds and you aren’t supposed to move while it does.”

Derek nods. “Are there bases or something? I seem to remember them.”

“Yeah. One for each team. They get you more points but normally people are organised enough to leave someone guarding them.”

A buzzer sounds and all the kids scramble to stand behind the line at the entrance to the laser tag section.

Derek turns to Stiles. “Which team are you on?”

“Green. Eat my dust, Derek.” Stiles winks at Derek then strides off into the complex with the second buzzer sounds. Derek swallows and follows afterwards, reminding himself that while he and Stiles will be in a dark space together for the next half hour, there are also dozens of impressionable children around, one of which is his own daughter.

Christie’s team wins again, which Derek can safely say he did not help with whatsoever.

He managed to run into Stiles only twice and each time they shot simultaneously, and ended up standing together waiting for their packs to reload. Stiles, it turns out, is a fan of smack talk. Kid appropriate and otherwise.

They do the birthday cake when they return to the room, and then the kids fall silent for almost an entire minute while everyone eats. It’s bliss, and Derek catches Stiles’ eyes over the kids and they share a knowing smile that makes Derek feel like part of a team which doesn’t actually exist. _Yet_ , his brain tacks on hopefully.

One by one, kids are collected by their parents and taken home, until it’s just Stiles, Derek, Christie and Dean left.

Derek fishes some tokens out of his pocket that he’d purchased early.

“Christie.” He beckons her over then drops them into her hand. “You and Dean go and play in the arcade for a bit while Stiles and I clean up. Don’t go anywhere but the arcade. You got it?”

Christie nods enthusiastically. “Dean!” she yells over her shoulder. “We got arcade tokens!”

“No running,” Stiles pleads as Dean and Christie dash out together. “Worth a try.”

Stiles looks exhausted from the day, but no less attractive for it. Which is a thought Derek was trying to keep under wraps, and a thought that had gotten less good at staying under there after seeing Stiles flushed from laser tag and grinning happily at having taken out first spot in the individual points tally.

Derek sighs and picks up a garbage bag to distract himself. Stiles follows suit. They tidy in comfortable silence, but Derek can tell Stiles is mulling something over.

“You really didn’t have to stay for clear-up. I could’ve handled it.” Stiles adds another few plastic cups to his rubbish bag.

“It’s fine. I’m sure you’d do the same for me.” How Derek feels confident enough to make that claim about Stiles after only having known him a few hours he’s not sure. But he can tell it’s true.

Derek gathers some of the stray serviettes and puts them into his own bag. He hasn’t longed for his couch or his paperback since… well since Stiles. The thought comes with the not unpleasant twang in his gut he’d felt earlier in the day.

“Um, Derek.” Derek turns to look at Stiles, who’s biting at his thumb with some force. “Before we get the kids, could I… could I ask you something?”

“Sure,” Derek agrees, a little concerned as to where this is going.

“Okay.” Stiles takes a deep breath and drops his hand. “I know we don’t really know each other, and we haven’t talked much beyond party-related things and small talk, but I—I think I could really—“

Stiles is working himself into a panic again, Derek can tell. He drops his bag, walks over, and stops in front of Stiles, reaching out slowly so Stiles can stop him if he wants. He doesn’t stop Derek.

Derek puts his hands on Stiles’ arms and rubs up and down.

“You’re already doing it,” Stiles whispers.

Derek doesn’t press to know what it is he’s doing, besides the obvious. He has a feeling he wasn’t actually meant to hear Stiles’ last words.

Stiles looks into Derek’s eyes and says, “I think I could really use someone like you in my life.”

Derek stills. It’s exactly the thought he’s been trying not to have all day. Now it’s laid before him on a silver platter.

“Did I overstep?” Stiles asks in a small voice. “I’m sorry.”

“No, Stiles.” Derek steps in closer, face an inch from Stiles. “I was just thinking that I’d been having the same thought.”

“Really?”

“Really really.”

Stiles cocks his head. “You realise you just quoted Shrek, yes?”

“Not intentionally. It’s one of the more bearable kid’s movies though.”

Stiles laughs.

“Tell me about it. Great soundtrack too. I put my copy on all the time.”

“I’ve got a copy too.”

“Well no point us both having one.” Stiles’ eyes widen and he steps away from Derek’s embrace. “Wo boy, sorry. That was taking things way too far.”

Derek smiles at Stiles. “I don’t mind. Maybe a few dates first though?”

Stiles looks relieved. “That would be great.”

**Author's Note:**

> Made for [Sterek Week 2016](http://whatthehellisahoechlin.tumblr.com/tagged/sterekweek2016)


End file.
